Matthew McConaughey Wanted to Play Randall Flagg in The Stand?

Having won an Oscar earlier this year for his very first nomination (for Dallas Buyers Club) and with a possible Emmy coming his way next Monday (for HBO’s “True Detective”)–not to mention his starring role in Christopher Nolan’s anticipated outer space epic Interstellar–actor Matthew McConaughey is clearly going to be in bigger demand than ever, and Deadline has word on two of his potential upcoming projects.

Nothing is official yet, but according to them, Warner Bros. wants McConaughey to play the role of the demonic figure Randall Flagg in the feature film adaptation of Stephen King’s The Stand, which will be directed by Josh Boone (The Fault in Our Stars).

Flagg has been a recurring character in much of King’s work, sometimes appearing in different guises, but he first appeared in his 1978 novel “The Stand” and then became the primary antagonist of his serialized “The Dark Tower” (which also has been in development to become a feature film or serialized television show). Jamey Sheridan played the role of the character in the 1994 television mini-series directed by Mick Garris, and Flagg has been brought to the comics in recent years with Marvel adaptations of both King works.

The Deadline story also mentions that McConaughey might team with Oscar-winning Traffic writer (and Syriana writer/director) Stephen Gaghan to make Gold for Black Bear Pictures, a movie that previously had director Paul Haggis attached. Written by Patrick Massett and John Zinman, it’s based on the true story of the 1993 Bre-X Mineral Corporation mining scandal where large amounts of gold were found in the Indonesian jungle. Haggis remains on as producer along with his partner Michael Nozik and Black Bear’s Teddy Schwarzman.